Matteo Ricci

Matteo Ricci? , 15521October 6-161May 0/day), an Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar. I came to live in China during the Wanli period of Ming Dynasty. Its original name is literally translated into Chinese as Matteo Leach, and Matteo Ricci is his Chinese name, which is Xitai, Qingtai and Xijiang. In China, he was respected by the scholar-officials, and was honored as "Taixi Confucian scholar". He was one of the pioneers of Catholicism in China and the first western scholar to read China literature and study China classics. In addition to spreading Catholic teachings, he also made friends with China officials and celebrities, and spread western scientific and technological knowledge such as astronomy, mathematics and geography. His writings not only made an important contribution to the communication between China and the West, but also had an important influence on Japan and countries on the Korean Peninsula to understand Western civilization.

all one's life

Become a Jesuit

1552 Matteo Ricci was born in Macerata, Macera, Ma Erkai, Italy. His family runs a Lee's pharmacy and he is a famous local family. Matteo Ricci has been studying in a middle school run by the Jesuits here, and his father has been worried about Matteo Ricci joining the Jesuits.

Matteo Ricci came to Rome at the age of 16, studied in the college of Saint Dorea, and joined the Jesuits on the day of the Virgin ascensiontide in 157 1. 1572 studied philosophy and theology at the Roman Academy sponsored by the Jesuits, and studied celestial arithmetic under the mathematician Christopher Klau, who was also his teacher. During this period, he also learned Latin and Greek, and he also used Portuguese and Spanish.

Caroline Quentin: A Passage Through India

1577 Matteo Ricci was allowed to preach in the Far East. 1578 On March 24th, Matteo Ricci set off from Lisbon and went to India to preach with other 14 Jesuits. All the way around the Cape of Good Hope and through Mozambique, after six months' voyage, we finally arrived in Goa, India, the most important Portuguese colony in Asia, on September 13. The journey was very hard. Before reaching Goa, 400 slaves from Mozambique on board died 13.

Before Matteo Ricci came to India, due to Francis Xavier's praise of India and the apotheosis of the church, what he heard about India was very fascinating, and it was easier to preach here. But the contrast of reality puzzled him. 1580 He wrote a letter in Portuguese to Marfi, a Jesuit historian: "If you look at the explanatory books and maps about India and Japan, you will find obvious fallacies everywhere." However, the Jesuits spread religion very smoothly in Japan, and followers of Nie Storey Sect (Nestorianism) were also found in India. This made Matteo Ricci and them very excited mentally.

Matteo Ricci preached in India and zhina for four years. In the meantime, he also studied humanities in the theological seminary in Goa, and after he was promoted to priest on July 26th, 1580, he studied theology. In India, he realized that local people should also be allowed to learn European cultures such as philosophy, teachings and theology, and wrote to the Jesuit headquarters to raise this issue. He thinks that if "they are prevented from holding positions in association with others-getting ahead through learning-I am afraid that they will hate us, and the main purpose of our Jesuits in India, the mission of persuading pagans to convert them to our sacred beliefs, will come to nothing." This view has been consistent throughout his life, which is also his attitude after he entered China. The Biography of Matteo Ricci written by Luo Guang said that it was "he won the respect of Chinese literati and died because of this spirit."

Arrive in Macao

Due to the closed door policy of the Ming Dynasty, the previous missionaries failed to enter China to preach, but only stayed in Macau. Therefore, Father Michele de Ruggieri recommended Matteo Ricci to Fan Lian, the chief inspector of the East. 1582 (ten years of Wanli) Matteo Ricci was called to China to preach and arrived in Macau on August 7th.

Missionaries want to attract China people by writing Catholicism in Chinese. "Practice writing in their language as a means to attract and capture their hearts." So they studied Chinese hard in Macau first. Matteo Ricci, who began to learn Chinese, was very excited about Chinese characters that were completely different from pinyin, and felt very incredible. In addition, when I was in Macau, it happened that a Japanese envoy was sent by, and Matteo Ricci took this opportunity to learn a little Japanese.

The first stop into China: Zhaoqing.

1584 Matteo Ricci and Father Luo Mingjian were allowed to live in Zhaoqing, Guangdong. They claimed to be from "Tianzhu" to China officials, which made China people think they were Buddhists. Matteo Ricci explained why he came to China: "We are priests from the far west, because we admire China and hope to stay and serve God here until we die. He didn't dare to answer the purpose of missionary directly, otherwise he might be expelled. In order to preach, they brought many articles from the west, such as the Madonna, maps, astrolabes and prisms. Among them is Euclid's Elements of Geometry. Matteo Ricci brought various new things from the West, which attracted many curious people in China. In particular, the map he brought has opened the eyes of China people.

Matteo Ricci, who entered China, praised China civilization very much: except that "our sacred Catholic faith" has not been bathed, "China's greatness is unparalleled in the world" and "China is not only a kingdom, but China is actually a world." He lamented that "Plato's ideal as a theoretical narrative in The Republic of China has been put into practice in China." Moreover, he also found that China people are very knowledgeable. "Medicine, natural science, mathematics and astronomy are all very proficient." But he also found that "science is not the research object among China people."

In August of this year, the "Xianhua Temple" was established in Zhaoqing, and missionary work began. At first, preaching was very low-key. Priests are cautious and concentrate on learning Chinese and etiquette and customs in China, so as to win the trust of China people, especially officials. They wear the costumes of Buddhist monks, thinking that this will win people's favor, and they also think that this is not much different from the costumes of Catholic priests. This also makes China people more convinced that they are monks from afar. They hung a portrait of the Virgin Mary here, and many scholars, officials and even monks came to bow down. They were very excited. But from the Chinese point of view, this is more out of courtesy than religious significance. There are also accounts that they are worried that when people in China see the portrait of Mary, they will mistakenly think that their God is a woman and hang up the image of Christ instead.

1584 Matteo Ricci produced and published The Whole Map of Mountains, Seas and Lands, which was the first time that China people came into contact with the knowledge of modern geography. Matteo Ricci took the opportunity to explain various western things and introduced their Catholic beliefs at the same time. They translated the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and the Praise of the Virgin Mary, as well as the catechism. China people soon became interested in Catholicism. So Matteo Ricci began to distribute the Record of God written by Luo Mingjian, explaining Catholic teachings in Chinese. Many people in China are interested in this book. But in any case, whether it is the establishment of "Xianhua Temple" or the publication of "A Record of God", China people always regard it as a Buddhist school, and China people still don't know much about Christianity.

Second stop: Shaozhou

Illustrations of Matteo Ricci (left) and Xu Guangqi (right) in Elements of Geometry. In the summer of the seventeenth year of Wanli (1589), the new governor of Guangdong took the western-style building where Matteo Ricci lived as his own, so Matteo Ricci moved to Shaozhou. While in Shaozhou, Matteo Ricci had an accident. They were robbed by robbers. Although Matteo Ricci was slightly injured, fortunately, they scared off the robbers, and they were arrested soon. During his stay in Shaozhou, another misfortune was that two of Matteo Ricci's subordinates died one after another. 159 1 Father Mai Andong passed away; 1593 Father Shi Fangxi also passed away. Another priest, Luo Mingjian, has already returned to Europe, and now Matteo Ricci is the only one engaged in missionary work in China. I am gratified that Qu Taisu, a scholar he met in Zhaoqing, became his good friend and disciple, and also helped Matteo Ricci translate the first volume of Euclid's Elements of Geometry. Thanks to Qu Taisu's propaganda, Matteo Ricci's self-made planetarium, globe and sundial for timing were given to senior officials, and Matteo Ricci's reputation gradually spread among local dignitaries, during which he was invited by Qu Taisu's friends to visit Nanxiong.

In Shaozhou, he studied the Four Books and translated it into Latin for the first time. Through the contact with Qu Taisu and many other upper-class people in China, Matteo Ricci found that his previous Buddhist monk costume was not respected in China society at that time, and his social status was relatively low. In order to communicate with officials in China more conveniently, Matteo Ricci began to grow hair and beard from 1594 with the consent of Fan Lian, and put on the clothes of Confucian scholars at that time.

Third stop: Nanchang

1595 (twenty-three years of Wanli) Matteo Ricci got the opportunity to go to Nanjing on the pretext of treating the son of an official who worked in the north. However, after arriving in Nanjing, the officials accompanied by Matteo Ricci gradually lost interest in him, so Matteo Ricci had to try to stay in Nanjing by himself. However, this time it failed. He had to return to Nanchang and was approved to live here. 122 September 596 Matteo Ricci successfully predicted a solar eclipse here, which made him a famous figure soon, during which he made many Confucian dignitaries and was warmly received by King Jian 'an. In his report to the Jesuits, he explained the reasons for his fame: first, because he had never seen foreigners in the local area; Second, Matteo Ricci's memory is so good that many people in China want to learn, so he wrote a book in Chinese about the Western Countries to introduce his memory methods. Third, it can use the four books and five classics to preach the Christian doctrine; Fourth, his knowledge of natural science; Fifth, it is said that he can alchemy; Sixth, someone asked him for advice on Christianity. In addition, in this year, Matteo Ricci wrote a book on friendship in order to practice writing articles in Chinese, which was unexpectedly appreciated by scholars.

1596 Matteo Ricci was appointed by Fan Lian as the head of the Jesuit diocese in China, and Matteo Ricci was in charge of missionary activities in China. And instructed Matteo Ricci to find a way to go to Beijing to see the emperor of China, so as to achieve a strong guarantee for missionary work in China. But also sent many gifts from Macau for Emperor China.

Fourth stop: Nanjing

Matteo Ricci, who accepted the new task, began to plan his trip to Beijing. Not long after, he contacted Wang Zhongming, who took office as the minister of Nanjing Ritual Department in the north, to take him to Nanjing, and Wang Zhongming also said that he would take him to Beijing. So1On June 25th, 598, Matteo Ricci and another priest, Lazzaro Cattaneo, left Nanchang for Nanjing with Wang Zhongming. They arrived in Nanjing in early July, and Matteo Ricci arrived in Beijing on September 7th. However, at that time, when Japan invaded Korea, Matteo Ricci, as a foreigner, could not stay in Beijing for a long time, and met with financial difficulties. He had to return after only staying for more than a month and went to Nanjing on February 6 of the following year [1].

During his stay in Nanjing, Matteo Ricci made many celebrities with the help of Qu Taisu, such as Ye Xianggao, assistant minister of Nanjing Ritual Department, Li Zhi and Xu Guangqi. Of course, this is mainly due to people's admiration for his knowledge of natural science. It is worth mentioning that Matteo Ricci also had a debate with a monk named Xue Lang, the great Hoonji monk, in this debate, Matteo Ricci obviously gained the upper hand with his scientific speculation. He also built the fourth Catholic church in the mainland in Chongli Street (now Shangshu Lane) in Hongwugang, Zhengyangmen (now Guanghuamen), and his address in Zhuanwan of Luosi in the west of the city later became a famous Catholic church-Shigu Road Catholic Church. These activities made Nanjing one of the most important missionary centers in the history of Catholicism in China.

Live in Beijing forever

Matteo Ricci 1600 (twenty-eight years of Wanli) On May 18, Matteo Ricci went to Beijing again with Father Diego de Pantoja and the gifts ready for the emperor, and arrived in Beijing on 160 1 year 1 month 24. Presented the bell, Bible, Atlas of the Nations, Atlantic piano and other objects, which won the trust of Ming Shenzong. 160 1 year, Ming Shenzong issued a letter to allow Matteo Ricci and others to live in Beijing for a long time. However, the court in China didn't notice that Matteo Ricci lived in Beijing for a long time in order to spread Christianity.

Matteo Ricci then made friends with China's literati by enriching his knowledge. Often talk with guests about God, soul, heaven and hell. At the same time, he compiled new books, including Twenty-five Words written in Chinese, which was respected by many intellectuals in China. By 1605, there were 200 Catholics in Beijing, and several of them were ministers or ministers. One of the most famous, and later the most influential, was Xu Guangqi, an academician who was a scholar.

16 10 year (thirty-eight years of Wanli) May 1 1 day Matteo Ricci died in Beijing and was buried in Erligou outside Pingze Gate. Before his death, Nicolas Longlbardi was appointed to take over the post in the church.

achievement

Spread Catholicism

In the Tang Dynasty, nestorius Sect of Christianity was once popular in China, but after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, there were basically no Christians in China. Matteo Ricci can be said to be one of the pioneers of Catholicism in China. He successfully met the emperor in Beijing, and established a good reputation and relationship among the scholar-officials, which opened the door for other missionaries to enter China in the future, and also created the way of missionaries' activities in China for more than 200 years in the future: on the one hand, spreading Christianity in Chinese; On the other hand, using natural science knowledge to win the favor of China people.

Matteo Ricci maintained a tolerant attitude towards the traditional customs of China. He allowed the believers in China to continue the traditional worship of heaven, ancestors and Confucius. According to his understanding, these are only rituals to respect ancestors; As long as there are no superstitious elements such as prayer and worship, it does not violate Catholic teachings in essence. Matteo Ricci advocated calling the Catholic "God" by "God" ("God" in English or Deus)； in Latin). However, he also thinks that the Catholic "God" already exists in China's thought, because the traditional "Heaven" and "God" in China are essentially the same as the "One True God" mentioned by Catholicism. Matteo Ricci himself wore the clothes of China scholars. Matteo Ricci's missionary strategies and methods have always been followed by Jesuit missionaries who followed him to China, which is called "Matteo Ricci Rules".

Italian missionaries such as Matteo Ricci achieved great success in China. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the Qing army entered the customs, the Empress of the Emperor wrote a letter to convert to Catholicism and asked the Pope for support (this letter is still in the Vatican). Kangxi of Qing Dynasty still reused Italian missionaries. However, the controversy among other Catholic churches in Europe over the traditional custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors and respecting Confucius in China weakened Matteo Ricci and others' success because of the influence of these customs on Catholicism in China at that time. In the Kangxi period, Spanish missionaries appealed to the Pope and obtained a decree from the Pope in order to crowd out Italian missionaries in the Philippines and China, claiming that Matteo Ricci and others allowed China people to worship their ancestors, which violated Catholic teachings, and sent special envoys to China to meet the emperor, who was arrogant and argued with Kangxi. Kangxi thought that "there is no such thing as an unfaithful and unfilial immortal", called the special envoy "unreasonable" and ordered him to be imprisoned in Macao, where he died of illness. From then on, the relationship between Emperor China and the Holy See deteriorated sharply, and the activities of Spanish missionaries in China were banned, and the closed-door policy was further strictly implemented. The ban on worshipping ancestors and worshipping Confucius was removed by Pope Pius XII (pope pius xii) hundreds of years later on 19391February 8, which also shows Matteo Ricci's understanding of China culture.

Learning from the West and Coming from the East

Matteo Ricci, who came with western learning, developed the ethos of scholar-officials learning western learning in the late Ming Dynasty. From Wanli of Ming Dynasty to Shunzhi of Qing Dynasty, more than 150 kinds of western books were translated into Chinese.

The Records of God written by Matteo Ricci and Euclid's Elements of Geometry translated by Xu Guangqi and others not only brought China many advanced scientific knowledge and philosophical thoughts, but also many Chinese words, such as point, line, plane, curve, curved surface, right angle, obtuse angle, acute angle, perpendicular line, parallel line, diagonal line, triangle, quadrilateral, polygon, circle and center of the circle.

Great universal geographic map, a world map made by Matteo Ricci, is the first world map in the history of China, which has been engraved for twelve times in China. And soon after it came out, it was introduced to Japan in the early edo period. This map has fundamentally changed the traditional Japanese worship of China's "Mu Xia" concept. It has a very important influence on the development of Japanese geography. Words such as Arctic, Antarctic, Mediterranean and Sea of Japan all come from this map. Up to now, Japan still calls the maps from17th century to18th century as Ricci maps.

place behind sb

Matteo Ricci Tombstone According to the practice of Ming Dynasty, missionaries who died in China must be moved back to the cemetery of Macau Theological Seminary for burial. 16 10 After Matteo Ricci died of illness in Beijing in May, other missionaries and the baptists of Matteo Ricci hoped to get the emperor's permission to bury Matteo Ricci in Beijing, so as to recognize the legal existence of the church and Catholicism in China. Therefore, Father Diego de Pantoja, a Jesuit, presented a letter to Emperor Wanli, hoping to make an exception and give him a place to bury Matteo Ricci. Diego de Pantoja said in the paper:

"Matteo Ricci died of illness in old age, and his feelings are pitiful. Matteo Ricci, a minister, entered the holy court, gradually learned from the west, learned to understand, was pious and respectful every morning and evening, burned incense and wished heaven, praised the holy one, and thanked the dog and horse for their loyalty. The capital city sergeants knew it, but they did not dare to say it. Before his death, he was quite studious and able to write. He was originally a well-known scholar in Haibang and came to China, which was also appreciated by the gentry. I, a foreign minister, grieved for his death without a burial place, and prayed for heaven's grace with tears of blood, and gave me more than mu of idle land, or abandoned several idle rooms in the temple, so that the foreign remains could be buried. When I saw the four of them, I had to live and die together and abide by the religious rules, so that I could enjoy the happiness of the paradise in China and the sincerity of serving the foreign minister. "

Although there was opposition in the imperial court, with the efforts of Ye Xianggao and others, the matter was quickly approved by Emperor Wanli. 16 1 1 year, presided over by Xu Guangqi, and Matteo Ricci, a gift from the emperor, was buried at Tenggong fence in Erligou outside Pingze Gate. The church can own the property without paying. By the end of19th century, more than 100 European missionaries had been buried in Tenggong Fence. 1900 The cemetery was destroyed by the Boxer Rebellion. The tomb was lifted and the stone tablet was smashed. Later, the Qing government rebuilt the destroyed cemetery at the expense of the "Xin Chou Treaty" and set up a stone tablet to apologize. At the beginning of the 20th century, this place has become a Catholic cemetery. The cemetery area is also expanding. By the founding of the People's Republic of China, hundreds of western missionaries had been buried in the Fenlan Cemetery, which became the most concentrated place for western missionaries to rest in the East since the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

1949 After the founding of the People's Republic of China, foreign priests were forced to leave China. 1954, only three gravestones in the cemetery, Matteo Ricci, Tang Ruowang and ferdinand verbiest, were kept in place according to the instructions of the the State Council Administration of Religious Affairs. During the Cultural Revolution, Matteo Ricci's tombstone was buried in the ground so that it could never turn over. 1973, Maweigou church was demolished and the tombstone was left unattended. 1978 10, Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian and other five central leaders of China "approved" the reconstruction of Matteo Ricci's tomb. /kloc-after 0/979, the cemetery was restored and listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Beijing.

Matteo Ricci's Tomb is located in the courtyard of Beijing Administration College outside Fuchengmen, Xicheng District, Beijing.

Now there are dozens of tombstones in the east of the cemetery. There are three tombstones in the west: facing the tomb, Matteo Ricci in the middle, and Tang Ruowang and ferdinand verbiest in the left and right. Matteo Ricci's tombstone is engraved with "Tomb of the Jesuits", which is written in Latin and Chinese:

"Mr Lee, taboo Ma Dou, west Thailand, Atlantic Italian. Since childhood, he has been a true practitioner, and he first entered China for teaching when he sailed in Renwu, Wanli, Ming Dynasty. Wanli Gengzi has been in the capital for years, and Wanli Gengzi died in the year. He has been alive for 59 years and has been in the society for 42 years. "

work

A Record of God, a World Map in great universal geographic map-Matteo Ricci translated A New Record of God in Western Zhu compiled by Luo Mingjian. Named "The True Meaning of God", also known as "A Record of Heaven Studies", this book systematically demonstrated to China people for the first time the existence of God, the immortality of human soul, the rewards and punishments of heaven and hell after death, and reported to the world the Catholic teachings of good and evil. The True Meaning of God was also the first to introduce the week system into China. Tian Xue Shi Yi was later included in Siku Quanshu by Emperor Qianlong, with Mongolian, Manchu, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese translations.

Elements of Geometry-Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi jointly translated the first six volumes of Euclid's Elements of Geometry. Matteo Ricci used "Elements of Geometry" as a textbook for his study in Rome College, which was compiled by Matteo Ricci's mentor, Father Clavius, a famous mathematician in Europe at that time. Father Clavius added two volumes of notes after the original, with a total of fifteen volumes.

Great universal geographic map-World Map.

"Miracle of Western Characters"-(now renamed "Roman Phonetic Articles in the Late Ming Dynasty") is the beginning of the Latinization of Chinese characters in China.

Twenty-five words-a book about Catholic moral beliefs, norms and cultivation

Ten Freaks-A Collection of Conversations between Matteo Ricci and Ten China Scholars.

The theory of making friends-contains hundreds of maxims about friendship from Cicero in ancient Rome into the Renaissance humanist master Erasmus and others. There are also Matteo Ricci based on his understanding of China people's thoughts. This is the first Chinese book written by Matteo Ricci.

"The History of the West"-a book that introduces how Matteo Ricci himself has the ability to never forget.

The Legacy of Debate was published in-1635, which contains Matteo Ricci's letters from the Catholic point of view and the Buddhist point of view of Zuihong and his pupil Yu Chunxi in the late Ming Dynasty.

"Identical Numerals"-introduces European arithmetic, and is translated according to "Overview of Arithmetic AE Practice" written by Clara Ubis (1583). The contents include basic four operations, fraction to proportion, root, sine cosine and other trigonometric geometry. Recorded by Li Zhizao, it was entered into Siku Quanshu in Qing Dynasty.

The Meaning of Surveying-About applied geometry and surveying, recorded by Xu Guangqi, with the meaning of Pythagoras attached.

"Love is more righteous"-Li Zhizao's transcript

"Hungaitong Constitutional Map"-Astronomical knowledge, Li Zhizao's transcript

In addition, he also wrote or participated in the writing of Eight Songs of Xiqin, Zhai Zhi, Gan Kun Ti Yi and other works.

Matteo Ricci's diary written in Italian was translated into Latin by the Belgian Jesuit Nicolas Trigault. It was published in 16 15, named "History of Christian Expedition to China" and translated into Chinese as "Notes of Matteo Ricci China".

19 10, Pietro Tacchi Venturi published the original Italian manuscript of Matteo Ricci found in the archives of the Jesuits in Rome with other manuscripts under the title "Opera Story del P. Matteo Ricci", with two volumes. 1942, Father Pasquale d'Elia compiled it into the Complete Works of Matteo Ricciane.

evaluate

For a long time, many people in the west, especially Catholics, regarded him as an admirable missionary who "induced pagans to convert". The East regards him as a scientist who promotes the communication between the East and the West. This evaluation is mainly because he spread the knowledge of western geometry and geography, as well as the views of humanism and Catholicism to East Asia, and at the same time he introduced China culture to the west. Therefore, some people regard him as a sinologist.

Pope John Paul II's evaluation of Matteo Ricci in his Speech at the International Symposium on the 400th Anniversary of Matteo Ricci's Arrival in Beijing can represent the views of the Catholic Church:

"Father Matteo Ricci's greatest contribution is in the field of" cultural blending ". He compiled a set of Catholic theological and ceremonial terms in Chinese, so that China people can know Jesus Christ, and the good news and church can be born in China culture ... Because Father Matteo Ricci is so "China among China people", he has become a great sinologist, which is in the deepest cultural and spiritual sense, because he regards priests as scholars, Catholics and orientalists, Italians and China people.

The Japanese author of Matteo Ricci, Youhong Hirakawa, said Matteo Ricci was "the first giant in human history who integrated all kinds of European Renaissance learning with China's four books and five classics." He also regarded Matteo Ricci as "the first" homo universale "on the earth". (Preface of Chinese Version)

American Life magazine also named him one of the 100 most influential figures in the second millennium (1000-1999).

references

Speech by the late Pope John Paul II and Matteo Ricci at the International Symposium on the 400th Anniversary of Beijing, http://www.cathlinks.org/ricci400.htm, 200 1 year1October 24th.

By Youhong Hirakawa (Japan), translated by Liu Anwei and Xu Yiping, Biography of Matteo Ricci, Guangming Daily Press, 1999 ISBN 780 1450884.

Matteo Ricci, translated by He Gaoji, Wang Zunzhong and Li Shen, Reading Notes of Matteo Ricci in China, translated works of Chinese and foreign relations history, Zhonghua Book Company, 200 1 year, ISBN 7 10 1007279.

Pei Huaxing (France), translated by Guan Zhenhu, Biography of Father Matteo Ricci (Part I and Part II), Commercial Press, 1998, ISBN 7 1000 12287.

Luo Guang, Biography of Matteo Ricci, Fu Jen Catholic University Press, 1982.